Close Enough For Me

I keep hearing that fall has yet to officially begin, however, the two things that mark fall in my world (neither of them being the official Fall Equinox) HAVE started which is good as done for me.

One of those is of course the fall of temperature... no doubt part of the reason why it's called "fall" is because of this very reason (notice I didn't link to anything there because I completely made that up... just now, yup). And the second... the start of football season. I'm really not partial, either - college football or NFL Sundays, both of those are quite satisfactory for this girl (let me clarify - we all know I care most about my Deacs but since I do also enjoy some good competition on a Sunday afternoon or the makings of a late Monday night, I'll include the NFL too)! Though in truth, I'm just a sports kind of a girl and cherish the start to every new season... as long as it's not hockey or pro-basketball (save for my Spurs), I'm there.

And from now on, I will most likely be "there" with a plate of this... Pulled BBQ Chicken. I really can't say enough about this to do it justice, so hopefully screaming MAKE THIS CHICKEN will get the point across. It's amazing... it's easy... it's made with inexpensive ingredients (and probably even ones you already have around!)... and just in case there are still any lingering doubters out there, my mom had 3 helpings of this last night - and she just doesn't do that.

Pulled BBQ Chicken
Adapted from Penzey's Spices

4 lbs bone-in chicken thighs
2 onions, sliced 1/4-inch
1 can light beer, room temp
1-2 c water, room temp
1 TB BBQ 3000 or other BBQ dry rub

Sauce:
1-2 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c molasses
2 TBSP yellow mustard
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 TBSP chili powder

*this is for preparation in a crockpot but I believe would work supervised in a large dutch oven

Line the bottom of the crockpot with 1/2 of the onion slices. Wash chicken and pat dry, seasoning with BBQ 3000. Place in the crockpot on top of the onions. Layer the remaining slices of onion on top of the chicken; using a combination of the beer and water, fill slow cooker until the liquid reaches 2/3 of the way up the side of the chicken.

Cook (in the slow cooker) for 8 to 12 hours on low. While cooking, whisk together the sauce ingredients.

Remove the chicken from the pot and allow to rest so the juices redistribute into the meat. Shred the meat (it will be falling apart at this point) and discard bones and skin. Completely empty the crockpot of any fat or liquid and onions. Return the meat to the cooker and add enough of the sauce to cover the meat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reheat the chicken on low until warm and serve on your favorite hard rolls or buns.